Me do 9-5 job? No, I want to be Dangote – Lucia

Last week my laptop snapped in two, yes. Screen went one way, keyboard the other side (please don’t ask me what happened to it)

Anyway since we are still living in Buhari’s Nigeria, I can’t just go out to buy a new one. I had to go and fix it. Saka Tinubu they said is the spot. So, off I went.

While I was waiting for Oga laptop repairer to finish fixing my laptop, I listened to some boys who were also waiting for their gadgets. They were talking about work, rather gossiping about their mutual friend who took up a 9-5.

Boy 1: Why *Tony* go collect that kind work? How much them dey pay

Boy 2: The pay good o, but e no go reach 400k

Boy 1: E no reach 400k na him e go de do yes sir, yes ma?

Both of them: hissssss na wa.

Then they started talking about how a regular 9-5 in Lagos is modern day slavery etc. The whole thing reminded me of when I was looking for a house last year. The owner of the apartment I wanted to rent lives abroad, his “niece” was in charge of the apartment. When she asked what I did for a living, I told her I worked in a company. She literally sneered, and looked at me like I was a thief. She then called the landlord and was relaying my details to him, “she is just a regular worker o, works in one company like that,” she told him.

I wanted to ask her what was wrong with having a regular job. She said it like I did something shameful for a living. Later, I would find out she wasn’t actually a niece but a kept woman.

It seems there is some concerted effort towards hating the 9-5 pattern and those who do it are said to be fools growing another man’s business.

I asked some other friends who have regular jobs and they too have gotten this attitude in one form or the other. On social media it is the same campaign against having a 9-5.

So, you people really think you’ll just finish university, start your own business and become Dangote or Otedola?

You guys really think businesses and entrepreneurship is all about selling stuff on Instagram? I am not saying that is a bad thing, anything legal that pays your bills is perfectly fine but this sneer and looking down at 9-5 work should be cancelled.

Besides, we can’t all be entrepreneurs, we can’t all own businesses or work as freelancers. Some people have to work for others and trust me, some of us who do it find fulfilment in our work and it pays the bills, so? Of course, we have days we hate the job or days we just want to curl up in the bed but work is work.

Also, if you cannot work for someone where do you think you will find the insights and the discipline to run your own business? And what do you people have against saying “yes ma/yes sir” to someone else? You think if you run your own business you won’t have to say “yes ma/yes sir” to customers?

LOL

There is nothing wrong with having a 9-5, being a freelancer, running a small businesses, or even doing all of them, but this sneering at 9-5 work will not get us anywhere. If you, like me, are not cut out for the running a business life, don’t let people pressure you.